Background

In high school, Morgan Uceny spent all her summers playing basketball, and was a point guard on the Plymouth High School varsity for two years. “That’s really what I wanted to play in college,” she says, “but I was definitely a much better runner.”

Morgan’s years on the Cornell track team proved as much, and after a sixth-place NCAA finish last year she headed to Indianapolis and the US Championships. “The NCAAs were the focus of my whole season, so I was really relaxed going into nationals,” she recalls. “There really wasn’t a lot of pressure.” She opened some eyes there, just missing a spot on the World Championships team but earning a berth on the US team for the Pan American Games, her first US team.

Her performance opened her eyes a bit, as well. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've always had a goal of making the Olympic team. I mean, who doesn't want to make the Olympic team?" said Uceny afterward. "Honestly, it was never something I thought could happen. I always said I wanted to do it, but I never thought it could develop in this way."

In her spare time, Morgan works 10-15 hours a week at Dogma Catmantoo, a pet boutique in Ann Arbor where “basically, I get paid to play with dogs.”